DIY Cinch Backpack (Pictures Mostly Included Throughout)

Ah yes, that title. The thing is, I went into this project thinking, "yeah, why don't I make a tutorial on this? It's simple enough." Simple enough. So I snapped some quick pictures that first night (Yes, inspiration always seems to strike me at around 9:30 pm, right when I need to go to sleep), then decided that this whole project was super simple and I didn't need to put it on my blog anyway. Once, however, the project reached it's completion point, I regretted the lackadaisical attitude I had acquired during the majority of the project (it really only took me about two hours to complete), and resolved to post it anyway.

It is a fairly straight forward project and I can probably do drawings of bits and pieces along the way to explain what's happening, But the really cool part is that it turned out fantastically. Which, of course, is the only reason I would want to put it on my blog so that I can show it off. On to the destructions (before you correct me on the grammar, I know it's "instructions" but I had to deconstruct a whole backpack to make this, so it's funny).

I used (so you’ll probably need this stuff if you intend to follow):

• A piece of fabric roughly the size of a carry on bag or about 12" by 15" or just whatever feels right (I used some canvas I bought from a thrift store for $5, I would recommend linen or something that doesn't have a tendency to fray too much)

• Two chunks (6ish feet long) of rope, string, or something else for the straps

• A sewing machine

• Thread (make sure you have enough options so choosing which color to use becomes pretty difficult)

• A pin cushion full of pins that may or may not be needed depending on how confident you feel in your sewing abilities

This was the supplies and thread selections I had available

It should be noted that I am writing this from the frigid waste that is my room. Why is it frigid you ask? My roommates, I love them dearly (don't get me wrong), are cheapskates (as am I, admittedly), and don't like paying much on the heating bill, thus the temperature is set at 55 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Now that we are transitioning into the fall months the rain is making everything chilly and the internal house temperature is barely above that of the external air temperature. Send blankets, warm socks, and tea, I will need them to survive the oncoming winter.

-Leah Cook (not yet frozen into a block of ice as I am still able to type)

Back to the main event.

I used my Paris backpack (I did buy it in actual Paris, France at a little street shop right across the street from the Louvre. At that precise moment that shop was way more interesting than all that priceless art the Louvre had to offer myself and my traveling companion), as a pattern for this new backpack. To start fold the fabric in half, however you deem most fabric efficient, and place the pattern on top of that.

This is not how I ended up cutting it but you get the idea

I added about a half an inch around the outskirts of that backpack, to allow for seams, and chopped. I ended up getting about and inch on each of the sides which I quite liked as that old backpack was a hair small (I should also mention that at this point I had already removed the rope which made up the straps, turning the backpack into a rectangle).

It is now that I would highly recommend using a cutting mat and straight edge to achieve beautifully perfect edges which will in turn make sewing a breeze. I, unfortunately, do not have my cutting mat and ruler so I had to make do with my trusty scissors. Which ended up going crooked so I used some books to create a straight edge and even out the bottom.

Both great reads if you’re looking for book suggestions. I believe the upside down one is Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman.

I now decided that doing a quick zigzag stitch around the outside of my two rectangle pieces would be a wise idea (it was not. Maybe don't repeat this part of the instructions). So I zigzagged around all eight edges which took forever because I was watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, while sewing, which proved to be very distracting as I couldn’t hear or see the movie while I was sewing. I didn't accomplish too much that evening, because that movie is actually pretty good and I would highly recommend watching it.

Once all that painstakingly useless zigzagging was done, I thought it might be neat to add some fancy stitching to the front of the backpack since I was doing the whole thing inside out. I picked several of the leaves in the pattern and was just going to sew around them real quick just to give the outside of the bag some color and texture (once again, this was not one of my brighter ideas and it took me an inordinate amount of time to complete on to not really turn out too well).

I didn’t even want to add this picture to the post because they look so horrendous, but I figure you guys should be allowed to see my failures as well as my successes. It’s only fair

Once you've given up on the time wasting parts of this project, you can slap those two rectangles right sides together and sew up the sides and bottom leaving about two inches at the top open to create the tunnels for the straps to go through. Clip the corners of the bag, and, if you're worried about fraying, do another super tight zigzag all the way around the inside (once again stopping just shy of the top). During this step of the project I had transitioned to watching Oceans Twelve. A strange movie but distracting nonetheless.

Now fold that top edge over so it sits right above the end of the seam around the inside of the pack. Be sure the little edges creating the mouth of the tunnel are folded in so that the outside will have a nice finished look. Sew straight from one side to the other creating the tube as you go.

Flip the backpack right side out and sew some triangles in the corners (mine weren't super even but go for sides about an inch and a half long and then don't over think the diagonal line. Just line it up as best as possible and go for it as fast as you can. Or you can draw a line to follow (my pencil just didn't show up on my fabric).

Now there are a few options at this point, I wouldn't recommend my way (I just want to put that out there. I don’t always use the most efficient method available).

First, you can find a cool grommet hole puncher thingy and put a nice grommet in the middle of your triangle (by far the most ideal, the most durable, and the most finished.

Second, you can sew a button hole in the middle of the triangle to put the straps through.

Or third, you can do what I did. Stab a hole and sew around it as best as possible. To do this, simply jab a hole in the middle of the triangles and just sort of trim until it's just big enough to slide the ends of the rope through.

Thread the ropes going opposite directions through the tunnels (meaning the ends of one rope should be sticking out the two holes on one side and the others should be on the other side making a cinch top). Stick both ends through the front of the hole (whichever side is going to be the front of the backpack) and tie a super tight knot on the other side (aka the back side of the backpack, or rather the side that will be facing your back).

Cinch the whole contraption open and closed a few times to loosen up the stiffness of the fabric, and, voila you've made yourself handy-dandy new backpack.